http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.windaction.org/articles/2898 Thu, 06 Oct 2005 12:52:08 GMT Mike Yagelski, an ironworker from Livingston, Mont., is dwarfed by the huge rotor that he helped set Thursday, Oct. 6, 2005, high atop a huge wind-powered generator near Judith Gap, Mont. http://www.windaction.org/articles/2898 http://www.windaction.org/articles/38452 Fri, 24 May 2013 19:57:32 GMT At the turbine's current rate of power production, it would take the county 33.70 years to recover its $201,924 investment ..."We needed to get a payback in 25 years because that was the expected life of the unit," Commission Chairman Joe Briggs said. The turbine currently is idle because of a parts malfunction, which isn't helping matters. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38452 http://www.windaction.org/articles/37992 Sun, 07 Apr 2013 18:31:01 GMT NorthWestern says it's merely trying to manage its electricity supply and prevent unneeded costs of these contracts from being foisted onto consumers. "There is a limit on how much (wind power) we can have and still have a reliable portfolio for customers," said John Hines, NorthWestern's vice president of electric supply. "There is only so much intermittent (power) supply we can have in our portfolio without substantial changes that we must make." http://www.windaction.org/articles/37992 http://www.windaction.org/articles/34305 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:59:04 GMT "Two Republican commissioners, Bill Gallagher of Helena and Brad Molnar of Laurel, voted against approving the project, saying that allowing NorthWestern to buy the project and charge the costs to ratepayers transfers too much risk to the customer. ...NorthWestern and could shift the risk of its variable costs away from the consumer by arranging to buy just the project's power. http://www.windaction.org/articles/34305 http://www.windaction.org/articles/33624 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:32:21 GMT Early last month, Invenergy withdrew as an official party in the case before the Montana Public Service Commission, saying its participation had become too expensive. A week later, NorthWestern Energy asked the PSC to strike Invenergy's comments from the record, calling them "self-serving allegations" that are false. http://www.windaction.org/articles/33624 http://www.windaction.org/articles/33286 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:05:04 GMT State District Judge John McKeon in Helena said in his Oct. 5 ruling that the DNRC did not adequately consider the cumulative impacts of the turbines, among other shortcomings. DNRC director Mary Sexton said Tuesday the department was still reviewing the decision. http://www.windaction.org/articles/33286 http://www.windaction.org/articles/32740 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:05:04 GMT Tonbridge Power Inc. has had its ups and downs trying to build a power line between Lethbridge and Great Falls. It has regulatory approval to finish the power line, but company officials said in June that Tonbridge stood about $25 million short in financing to finish the project. http://www.windaction.org/articles/32740 http://www.windaction.org/articles/32409 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:33:39 GMT The utility has asked the PSC to approve the purchase and allow NorthWestern to charge electric ratepayers for its development cost and the power it would produce, starting in 2012. ...The PSC will examine why the company chose Spion Kop [wind farm] and whether it is the best deal for consumers. http://www.windaction.org/articles/32409 http://www.windaction.org/articles/32224 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:51:14 GMT The information, which includes price and cost of the project, wind data, financial models, legal analyses and costs of capital, will be submitted to the PSC to help it determine whether NorthWestern chose the best project for consumers and the public interest. http://www.windaction.org/articles/32224 http://www.windaction.org/articles/31720 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:24:20 GMT "Such a delegation (of power) must be express or necessarily implied - not cobbled together," she wrote. "Here, where MATL is unable to find an express delegation of power ... the court must conclude that this extraordinary power has not been delegated. http://www.windaction.org/articles/31720 http://www.windaction.org/articles/31635 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:33:13 GMT Senate Republicans are floating a new proposal to break the legislative logjam over landowner rights vs. property condemnation powers of transmission line developers - but so far they're not finding any takers. http://www.windaction.org/articles/31635 http://www.windaction.org/articles/31397 Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:17:42 GMT Commissioners called a meeting to discuss what other counties charge developers to cover impacts of the projects. One such impact that could occur is wear and tear on roads during construction. "Has anybody ever addressed the aesthetic impacts?" commission Chairman Bill Salina asked. http://www.windaction.org/articles/31397 http://www.windaction.org/articles/31046 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:36:57 GMT The state House on Monday overwhelmingly approved a proposed two-year extension of the state's moratorium on wind developers' eminent domain powers. House members also passed on second reading House Bill 191, which would revamp the state's wind tax and distribution method. http://www.windaction.org/articles/31046 http://www.windaction.org/articles/30438 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 18:09:51 GMT Members of the Cascade County Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 4-0 Friday to grant a special-use permit to Chicago-based developer Invenergy to build a 16-turbine wind farm near Belt, which could grow to 10 times that size in future phases. http://www.windaction.org/articles/30438 http://www.windaction.org/articles/29835 Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:10:09 GMT According to Shapiro, when he first approached the Bureau of Land Management about the project, no red flags were apparent. ...But in written comments to FERC, representatives of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Elkhorn Working Group, the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service all noted that the project probably isn't appropriate for the proposed site. http://www.windaction.org/articles/29835 http://www.windaction.org/articles/28476 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:28:32 GMT Montana Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar, R-Laurel, a frequent critic of wind power, says he believes the market for wind power "is dropping like a rock," because the price of natural gas has plummeted and people don't want to pay for more expensive wind if they don't have to. It's up to wind power developers to show that their electricity is a good deal and as reliable as other power, without government subsidies or promotion, he says. http://www.windaction.org/articles/28476 http://www.windaction.org/articles/28475 Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:21:51 GMT The state's electric co-ops, which serve half the state's consumers, haven't financed a single project in Montana. ..."We are only going to choose those resources that are best for our ratepayers," says John Hines, chief energy supply officer for NorthWestern. "That's going to exclude a lot of those projects out there. It's no different than working with other types of generation or (power) providers." http://www.windaction.org/articles/28475 http://www.windaction.org/articles/28447 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:01:39 GMT On Monday, Montana Alberta Tie Ltd., the developer of the Montana Alberta Tie Line, filed a complaint for condemnation in Glacier County District Court against Larry Salois and Shirley Salois, who live a few miles east of Cut Bank. ...The complaint seeks to condemn an easement under the power of eminent domain. It's the first time Montana Alberta Tie Ltd., a subsidiary of Tonbridge Power Inc. of Toronto, has used condemnation in dealing with Montana landowners. http://www.windaction.org/articles/28447 http://www.windaction.org/articles/27195 Sun, 09 May 2010 02:37:14 GMT A Montana renewable energy company says it has the backing of 10 wind farm developers to pursue a sprawling power collection grid serving Montana, North Dakota and Alberta. The announcement by Grasslands Renewable Energy of Bozeman came as the company received initial approval Friday for a reservoir project that would store excess power from the developers' prospective wind farms. http://www.windaction.org/articles/27195 http://www.windaction.org/articles/26905 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:37:50 GMT The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation said Wednesday that it will consider leasing 26,932 acres of school trust land near Conrad, Cut Bank and Martinsdale to private developers interested in using the property as part of larger commercial wind farms. http://www.windaction.org/articles/26905